Divine Sword "Bloodslayer" (Part 1)

Although he was reluctant to leave Wushan Town, where he had lived for many years, as his sons grew up, Wushan Town clearly could not provide them with a sufficient stage. With mixed feelings, Hogg set out with Bolan on the road to the O'Brien Empire.

This journey to the O'Brien Empire was not as troublesome as before, when they had needed to seek out merchant caravans and hire mercenaries. After all, Bolan and the two dragons were all Level 9 experts. The bandits and petty thieves along the way were casually dealt with by Bolan.

Incidentally, while Bolan was in the Fenlai Kingdom this time, he happened to learn of the whereabouts of his family's inherited treasure blade, Warblade Slaughter. Warblade Slaughter had been the weapon of Baruch, the first Dragonblood Warrior, and was also a Baruch Clan heirloom. It was now stored in the home of a Fenlai noble known as Marquis Jiebu. Thinking of how highly his father Hogg valued this warblade, Bolan went straight to his door and "reasoned with him through emotion and logic," making the noble obediently hand over Warblade Slaughter. (That was, if one ignored the Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon grinding its teeth beside him!)

Of course, Bolan could not let Marquis Jiebu suffer a loss. He exchanged a precious Level 8 magical beast core for it. Marquis Jiebu was rather pleased as well. After all, he was the only one who liked Warblade Slaughter; perhaps after he died, his descendants would simply sell it off. A Level 8 magical core was a true family heirloom for a noble.

Warblade Slaughter was now strapped to Hogg's back. It was, after all, the family heirloom he had yearned for over so long.

As they passed through Hess City, Bolan suddenly remembered that he had a Blood Garnet. Why not find a master artificer here and forge it into a divine sword? Ever since his battle with the Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon, he had lacked a weapon that truly suited him. Not long ago, he had happened to obtain a secret treasure from the Supreme Plane of Hell as well—the Blood Garnet.

As long as he found a master capable of melting the Blood Garnet, he could have a longsword forged for himself.

With that in mind, Bolan planned to have Hogg rest in Hess City while he searched for a master capable of crafting weapons from Blood Garnet.

Half a day later, led by an attendant, Bolan found the weapons shop where the master stayed. The shop was dozens of meters long, and two burly men stood at the entrance. They wore magnificent armor, held weapons in their hands, and looked exceedingly imposing.

After entering, a dedicated attendant came forward to greet him. Bolan waved his hand and got straight to the point. "I heard Master Colby is here?"

The attendant beside him nodded repeatedly. "Yes, my lord. Master Colby is our chief master. His skill in weapon crafting is among the very best on the entire continent."

Hearing this, Bolan interrupted the attendant's flattery. "Oh? Then invite Master Colby out. I would like to ask him to forge a weapon."

"My apologies, my lord. Master Colby generally does not meet guests voluntarily. If you wish to see Master Colby, you can only find him yourself. Also, seeing Master Colby requires some payment. Otherwise, you will not be able to meet him."

This master certainly put on quite the airs, Bolan thought.

With that, Bolan took out a bag of gold coins and tossed it directly to the attendant. "Keep the rest as payment for leading the way."

The attendant weighed the money bag in his hand and roughly understood how much was inside. He hurriedly called out, "Yes, my lord! Thank you for your reward!"

A few minutes later, led by the attendant, Bolan arrived outside a plain residence. The gatekeeper clearly recognized the attendant, so he let them through without delay.

Master Colby had graying hair, but the muscles across his body were clearly defined. He was obviously a powerful warrior.

The attendant explained their purpose to Master Colby. The master looked Bolan over and smiled. "Young man, my fees are quite high. Forging a weapon costs at least ten thousand gold coins."

Bolan looked at Master Colby. He was a very powerful warrior. Of course, most master artificers were formidable warriors, and Bolan was certain that Colby before him was at least a Level 7 warrior.

"That is fine," Bolan said with a smile. "However, this weapon will be forged from my own materials." With that, he directly had everyone else leave.

After the others departed, Master Colby asked curiously, "Young man, what material can you provide?"

"Blood Garnet," Bolan said.

Colby, who had been sitting calmly in his chair, sprang to his feet as if struck by lightning. He stared at Bolan in shock. "What did you say? Blood Garnet? Did I hear that correctly?"

"That's right. I need a longsword forged from Blood Garnet. Can you do it?"